Dear Swistle,
Longtime reader, first-time caller. I’m due in exactly one month with a baby girl who is still nameless. Her older sister is Anna. Anna got my favorite name, my forever-favorite name, the one I doodled as a pre-teen, the perfect name, the name that when I find it or derivatives (Anneliese, Annabel) on lists I still get an involuntary “ooooh I like THAT one” feeling before remembering “Yes, that’s why you used it already.” Anna’s last name (which is also my husband’s name and will be this baby’s last name) is Stussman without the T.
Anna: is my great-grandmother’s name, is familiar, is spell-able, has a lovely meaning, has personal significance relating to that meaning, derives from Hebrew (we’re Jewish, but with a fair amount of W. European background, too) but is not full-on Hebrew/biblical, does not sound silly with a Jewish last name, is classic, is (subjectively) pretty, lends itself to nicknames, lends itself to a natural Hebrew name, rhymes with Banana…etc. I will not find another name I like as much or that ticks as many of my preferred boxes, and I am working on accepting this.
Anna’s middle name is a location that starts with “Beth-“, because I had a normal middle name and always wanted a weird one. It has literary significance to my husband and me, and delightfully lets us call her Annabeth, which we do, and Betty, which I did not expect to use as a nickname (at ALL) but frequently do.
So now we’ve got number two on the way, and again we are considering Cora, Delia, and Elizabeth (runners-up with Anna).
Elizabeth feels like it ticks the most of all my many preference boxes (classic, subjectively pretty, derived from Hebrew, familiar, spell-able, nicknames), but I am having a tough time committing to a name with “-beth” given Anna’s middle name (which we use). It feels like we used it already (and in my head, when we used Beth- for Anna’s middle name, I was committing to giving up Elizabeth for a hypothetical future daughter). Alas, I have none of the feelings for Eliza that I do for Elizabeth.
Delia has been my favorite, I think, but my husband has it in his second tier. I really like Cora, but just not quite as much. That said, I think it’s our presumptive front-runner.
Other contenders:
Maya–popularity curve is a little trendy for my taste
Zoe–same
Alice–concerned it runs into Stussman; too many sibilant sounds? Also has the word “lice” in it.
Margaret/Marguerite–we both love this (so many good nicknames!) and the meaning (“pearl”) is a family surname on my side, but he loves Margaret and I love Marguerite and we may be at an impasse. We’ve tabled it for now. I also don’t feel like it’s as “pretty” as Anna or Elizabeth.
Emma–sonically confusing with an Anna; literally the number one name last year in the US.
Talia–TOO Hebrew? He really likes this one.
Elizabeth Delia, nn Edie–my husband has a ton of Ediths in his family tree so this would sort of be an honor name. Otherwise, my preferred nicknames for Elizabeth are in the “Lizzie” family.Names I love and/or would seriously consider that he has vetoed or just doesn’t like as much:
Lydia
Madeline
Valeria
Catherine/Katherine
Winifred (Winnie!)
Shirley (I have told everyone I know that this one is going to come back, but no one believes me)
LaurelMiddle name for this baby will likely be Mayberry (family surname to honor a specific deceased loved one), or perhaps Poppy (nickname for my husband’s beloved grandfather, now deceased) but oh, the other wonderful odd-duck middle names I have on my list:
Valley
Lenity (virtue name with personal significance)
Amarintha (family name, and I love Marin, pronounced NOT like the county)
Marigold
Roses (this occurred to me late one night and I LOVE it)
Aurise (family name)
Roisin
Galilea
Auden (literary significance)Names I love but are too close to us (friends/family have or use these names):
Lucia
Abigail
JosephineMy husband is very reactive on this front and not super-articulate, but does have preferences that have led us to the shortlist of Cora, Delia, Elizabeth, Maya, Zoe, Alice, Margaret/Marguerite, and Talia.
Had this been a boy, she likely would’ve been Isaiah King or, possibly, Gideon Leander. Other boy names I love and might pull for in a future hypothetical pregnancy include Bennett, Elias, John, and Malachi. The people we’d like to honor had names like Ovid, Paul, and King. (Luckily, we have very few female relatives who have passed away that we’d want to honor.)
So…what should we name the baby? Am I missing something wonderful I can present on a silver platter (i.e. text message) to my husband?
Sarah
Oh, I too wished for a more unusual middle name! Mine is one of the few that basically everyone my age has: it’s no fun to tell it, on the rare occasion I am asked about it.
I agree with you about Elizabeth: I think it’s GREAT with Anna, and meets so many of your preferences—but I feel as if Anna now has dibs on Beth/Betty. If you were absolutely set on Elizabeth and wanted with all your heart to use it, I would say I thought it would be fine, and I DO think it would be fine, but I think it would be better to choose something else.
Alice S(t)ussman has too many S-sounds for my ears, too. And I find it difficult to say.
From your lists, my favorites with the name Anna are:
Catherine
Cora
Laurel
Lydia
Margaret
I would add:
Audrey
Bonnie
Claire
Clara
Claudia
Eva
Fiona
Flora
Gemma
Georgia
Greta
Hope
Iris
Ivy
Jane
Jillian
Joy
June
Leah
May
Meredith
Molly
Nora
Pearl
Rachel
Ruby
I am especially drawn to the simpler names, the ones that the eye skips past in the baby name book but then end up being fresh surprises. Jane, for example. Jane Mayberry Stussman; Anna and Jane. I think that’s my favorite. Familiar, spell-able, has a lovely meaning, a feminine form of John which derives from Hebrew but is not full-on Hebrew/biblical, does not sound silly with a Jewish last name, is classic, is (subjectively) pretty, lends itself to nicknames. If you were to give up on this whole thing and tell me I could name the baby, I would choose Jane.
Pearl seems like a good option for solving the Margaret/Marguerite issue. Pearl Mayberry Stussman; Anna and Pearl.
Or would you like Margo? Margo Mayberry Stussman; Anna and Margo.
Name update:
Thank you for your help! Baby Stussman is here and her arrival helped us pick her name. Both my husband and I found that our favorites didn’t suit her: names like Delia and Elizabeth and Katherine seemed a little too…stately? Ladylike? Un-warm? for our new rosy-and-round-cheeked baby, and my husband said that he wanted something more unique and “sparky” for her—a name that no one else he knew had. In the end, we were down to Cora and Marguerite (nn Maggie, Meg, Daisy, etc.), as apparently “warm” to me meant “has an R.” We didn’t settle on her name until 30 minutes before discharge, sigh.
Pleased to introduce Cora Mayberry Stussman. Over the past 6+ weeks, we have called her Cora, Corey, Co, Coey, Corazon, Cora May, and the most often by far, Coco. Her sister still calls her Sugar Water (sometimes Sugar), and boy howdy does it suit her. This baby is very, very sweet.
I really like Mary for you. It is all the things you are looking for, is sadly underused, and is so pretty.
Anna and Mary.
Or, you could just use Marigold as the first name and then call her Mary or Goldie. It is lovely, feminine, and doesn’t feel “out there” because it is in the flower family. I also love Swistle’s suggestion of Iris.
Anna and Marigold
Anna and Iris
How about Marie? My grandmother was Marie and she was called May and Maisie for nicknames in her family.
I love the choices of Elizabeth and Jane, too.
From your list, I like Cora and Margaret the most!
For additional suggestions, I love Laura and Rebecca with Anna. Ooo what about Naomi?
yes to Naomi! Anna-banana and Naomi-Bologna!
love Margo and Leah.
Ruth? Eve? Judith? Rose/Rosa?
I also came to suggest Mary. It goes great with Anna. If you use Mayberry as middle, you can call her Mary May! I have a four year old Mary and it is quite fresh and unexpected to people. Marie, Miriam, and other Mary type names are also splendid.
“Rhymes with banana” made me laugh with delight.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of Jane. It’s perfect, I think.
But I am still going to add my own additional suggestion of Cordelia. I don’t know whether it fits the derived from Hebrew preference, or what it means, but I think it fits ALL the other preferences quite well. AND it is the perfect blend of Cora and Delia, both of which could be nicknames. Plus, I know a toddler named Cordelia and it is adorable on a small child.
Anna and Cordelia. Cordelia S(t)ussman.
I really want to push you towards May. I have a daughter Ann and a daughter May, and I think you would really like May.
It’s familiar, spell-able, close to Mayberry, could be a nickname for either Margaret or Marguerite (which, given the way you like to elaborate Anna into Annabeth, and then to Betty, I think you’d enjoy), goes well with your last name, and rhymes with everything. I didn’t think it would lead naturally to nicknames, but then May’s preschool teacher started calling her Mayo, and I kind of like that too. Then, Maya could be a Hebrew name…still something you love, but not something she shares with other little girls in her classes. Or maybe Margalit could be? (I’m not 100% sure how Hebrew names work).
May Amarintha especially seems perfect to me.
I love Cora and the symmetry of it with Anna is appealing to me. Cora May is a delightful nickname that parallels Anna Beth.
I also really like Talia and don’t think it is too Hebrew at all. Talia Poppy makes me swoon a bit.
While I agree that Emma is to popular to be distinctive, I do like Emma Delia with the nickname Edie. You get the honor nickname in and you daughter can select whether she wants to be Emma or Edie as she gets older.
Another name that I love and would get you to the honor nickname is Eden. Eden Poppy or Eden Poppy both sound nice. Anna and Eden. (i also think Eden may tick many of your boxes.)
Cora May is part of the reason it’s a current front-runner (and the reason Mayberry is the middle-name contender). And to the extent that it lets me use a part of each girl’s middle-name as a throw-back-y 50s nickname (Anna & Cora: post-millennial little girls born in the 2010s; Betty & May, sassy diner waitress alter-egos), I am deeply in love with the parallel structure.
That’s why I like the names Cora and Clara and Jane so much for you! Cora May, Clara May, Janie May. Or what about Julia? Julia May. Audrey? Audrey May. What about Cara, if you’re not sold on Cora or Clara? I have an adult friend named Cara (Care-uh) and it wears quite well on an adult.
One lovely possibility in choosing a double M name-such as Mary or Marie or Margaret with Mayberry is the nickname of Mimi. You’ve already proven to be a flexible nicknamed, and Betty and Mimi sound like best friends. Of course, then Miriam comes to mind as well and gives me a Winifred feeling with more roots in your heritage. Anna and Miriam.
Oooh, what a fun letter! We have similar tastes. I even once floated “Roses” to my husband but he wasn’t keen. :) (Sadly, he is not keen on any of the Rose family of names—Rose, Rosemary, Rosamund, Rosetta—which I have a similar relationship to as yours to Anna.)
Before I say anything else I want to suggest:
Miriam
As others already have. It’s just so lovely and underused and classic-feeling. Has cute nicknames (Miri, Mimi, Mamie, any of the Mary-derivatives like Polly, etc.)
Besides Miriam, other Hebrew-lite names which come to mind, and which you may have already considered and moved on from, are:
Sadie (if you think of it as derived from Sarah)
Sally (ditto the above)
Jemima (though it has some cultural baggage)
Judith (I am convinced this will come back, like Shirley!)
Naomi (I’m sure you’ve considered this one, and I’m not sure the style is quite you, but I do think it is a lovely name)
Also I just have to say that Shirley makes me think of Lois, Susan, and Nancy, all of which I’m convinced will return.
Your style also made me think of Dorothy or Dorothea, nicknames Dot, Dottie, Dorrit, etc.
Talia gives Anna a more modern/trendy vibe, but it’s a great name, especially with your surname. I like the alliteration. I agree Zoe and Maya will seem of this time down the road, so if that bothers you, best to cross them off the list. I have a wee Alice and no one has ever brought up the lice issue, nor have we thought of it before, but I do agree it is a bit stutterish with the surname.
Alice and Elizabeth make me think of Eleanor.
Marguerite and Margaret made think of Martha and also Daisy.
Hmmm mulling over all of this I think my favorites among ones you didn’t list are Miriam, Dorothy/Dorothea (feels compatible with Hebrew though it is not), and Sarah with the nicknames Sadie or Sally.
Among the names you listed, all but Margaret/Marguerite feel like they have dealbreaker drawbacks. Cora feels a bit trendy like Maya/Zoe, and has no nicknames; Delia doesn’t feel like a style match with Anna, exactly, and it doesn’t sound like you love it (also no natural nicknames besides Deedee); Elizabeth has the Beth and Betty issue, which would bother me too; Emma is extremely popular and has no nicknames besides Em or Emmie, which don’t feel super natural.
So, my vote among those you listed is for Marguerite with the nicknames Daisy or Margot!
Or what about Marjorie/Margery?
Ok, I need to stop, I could keep going and going…!
Also just throwing it out there that Sarah is relatively uncommon at the moment!
Oh gosh, I didn’t read your letter closely enough! *your* name is Sarah, haha. Well, I still think Sadie or Sally are sweet options. :) Also in rereading, I see you *do* like Delia, more than Cora, but your husband doesn’t as much. Oh well.
I also thought of Pearl for you. It solves the Margaret debate and would be a more direct nod to the family surname. Margo is also a nice alternative.
Instead of Elizabeth, I wonder if you’d like Isabel? Same Hebrew root, plenty of nicknames and I think it works well with Anna. It could be more popular than you’d prefer, but I would personally be willing to overlook that if most of the other boxes could be ticked. I do think Elizabeth is too much since Beth is part of your daughters name.
From your long list, I quite like Talia and I do not think it’s too full-on Hebrew.
Would you consider the Mayberry connection as a possible first instead of middle? I think May or Maeve would be lovely.
I feel like Margaret is so perfect. The spelling Marguerite does not feel like a name match with Anna (subjectively, of course!). I am lobbying now for a second daughter to be named Margaret, and I’m not yet pregnant. That’s how much I love this name. And Margaret Mayberry? So. So. Perfect.
But really, all of the names you have on your list work beautifully, and all of Swistle’s suggestions are great too. Maybe you can add Eloise to the consideration list? It hits some of those Elizabeth/Lucia sounds and has lots of nicknames and sounds like a sister to Anna to me.
I asked my husband what he would name her if I were dead, and after he said, “Sarah, after you, obviously–also, you are morbid,” and I clarified, “No, I just mean if you had sole say-so,” I think he came down to Margaret Mayberry.
How do you feel about that shortening to Maggie May? Appealing or a drawback?
It’s a mixed bag for me! On the one hand, fun and familiar; on the other hand, namesake is larcenous Liverpudlian lady of the night.
I would love it if my name were Margaret Mayberry. It sounds great, it looks great, it has fun nicknames.
Margaret Mayberry, nn Margot (or Maggie, Maisie, Meg) would be stunning! Or jus Margot Mayberry.
I was going to suggest Eden and then thought of Leah. Leah is in that “simple, classic, overlooked” category for me. Anna and Leah. Leah Mayberry Stussman.
I know a little Talia who is adorable and it doesn’t ping to Hebrew to me. I was going to suggest Miriam which I also love.
I’m gonna suggest Jennifer. Jennifer Mayberry. Jenny May.
Other names that occur to me as being good sister names for Anna are Lauren, Lynn or Linda. I ditto Jane. Karen? Or is that too Anna Karenina?
Ooh! Nina!
I know sisters called Anna and Lauren..I think they work well together
Ooo, I want to second the name Lynn. That is exactly the kind of name my eyes skip past in the name book, but then just imagine meeting a new baby and finding out her name is Lynn! LYNN!! It’s so pretty to say. And then both girls have double-Ns. Anna and Lynn.
I like Mary.
But I LOVE Ruth. Ruth Mayberry. Ruthie May
Celia is my perfect favorite name, and it seems like you like the sounds in this (Delia, Talia). I second Miriam, too. Or Margaret, nn Daisy would be cute. In Little Women, Meg’s friends called her Daisy because the flower daisy is called a marguerite in French.
Ooh! Celia! Ruth! What about Sylvia?
What about Rose Mayberry = Romy? Anna and Rose. Anna and Romy.
I also like Ruth and Miriam, as suggested above. And Celia.
What about:
Lea
Noemie
Lilith
Eve
Please consider Maureen. I knew two sisters with those names: Anna and Maureen. So pretty (subjective). Easy to spell/pronounce. Uncommon – hasn’t been top 1000 for 20 years. I vote for Maureen Valley, but I can be flexible on the middle name. :)
As a Maureen (age 36), I am tickled to see this suggested. :)
Love Jane so much for you. And Mary. How about Mary Jane? Mary Jane Stussman sounds perfect. There’s something so classic, yet fresh about it. Maybe it’s because I only know one, and she’s rocked it right through to her early teens so far, and has always loved that it’s the name of Spider-Man’s girlfriend ;-)
We are also Jewish and our daughter is Dalia – spelt this way without the h which is the Hebrew spelling. It is considered a grandma name in Israel but we’ve had really positive feedback here. Thought you might like it as a cross between Delia and talia (talia was also on our list). We call her “dee” as a nickname. Not sure it goes that well with Anna – definitely has a less classic/common feel but thought you might like it. I like Naomi and Ruth a lot with Anna and Margaret.
From your list I like Margaret Mayberry, nickname Maggie May. I also like Dorothy from the comments.
Gloria is a name I think is ready to come back into fashion again. Anna and Gloria. Gloria Gallilea, nn Gigi
Mary Gold and call her Goldie? I also love all the nicknames that incorporate the May middle. Adorable! If not Jane, what about Jean or Joan? Joanie May – swoon! I also love Leah and Ruth for you. Miriam falls in the category of really Hebrew-y for me. Ooh, what about Eve?
Also, congrats on two girls! You are in for a lot of fun:)
I love Margaret /Margo and all the nicknames that come with them-Maggie, Meg, Daisy, Ret,Rita and think they are lovely with Anna
What about Louise or Lucia. .cute nicknames and classic like Anna
I came to the comment section to suggest Ruth (my newborn daughter’s name!), and am delighted to see it already mentioned!
I feel like we have many of the same naming values/wishes as you – derives from Hebrew, without being full-on Hebrew/biblical, classic, pretty… And our girl name going into the hospital was actually Anna!! The name Ruth emerged (she just didn’t seem like an Anna when she arrived!) and I absolutely love it. She is only 7 weeks, but the nicknames Ruthie, Root and Roo (my favourite) have come out so far.
I love Jane and Pearl for you. I also like the idea of Mayberry as a first name, nickname May.
Just came to suggest Odette, Iris & Amity, 3 names I think go nicely with both older sister Anna and with the middle name Mayberry, my favourite being Odette, Anna & Odette are cute!
I think Jane and Eve are my favourites from all the suggestions. Janie May or Evie May are sweet nicknames too!
Have you thought about using Poppy as a first name? Anna and Poppy are adorable together! Poppy or Pearl actually.
I have to admit that Margaret Maynard nicknamed Maggie May is sooooo great!
What about Emilia or Louise? Emilia Maynard nn Millie May! Anna and Louise! Love!
Katherine Mary nn Katie May? Rebecca Maynard perhaps?
Rosa? Just throwing it out there!
So many great names!
Good luck!
How about Edith itself? Anna and Edith are great together and it gets you the nn Edie without having to combine Elizabeth and Delia.
I wonder about Eleanor?
I also think Elizabeth Delia nicknamed Edie skirts the “Beth” issue if you just can’t stop thinking about Elizabeth. I also love Margaret as an option. Anna and Margaret are GREAT sister names.
Would you consider Mayberry as a first name, and called her May? Or just use May in honor of the family name. May Amarintha or May Lenity both sound nice to my ear.
Similarly, Amarintha is “out there” as a first name, but the nickname Marin brings it back… or just go with Marin by itself, in honor of the family name. Marin Roisin or Marin Aurise sound nice.
Would you like Tessa? Anna Beth and Tessa May.
Or Abigail (Abby May).
Or Esther / Hester (though the Alice problem of too much S with the surname may reappear).
Love the suggestions of Ruth, Margot, and Rosa for you too.
I vote for Margaret. You can still call her Marguerite. They’re variations of the same name so it’s totally acceptable to call her both. And if you give in and use Margaret as her legal name even though you prefer Marguerite maybe he’ll let you have a more exotic middle name.
I also wouldn’t be able to use Elizabeth when beth___ was already taken by daughter #1.
Good luck.
I love Margaret Mayberry Sussm@n!!!!
Alternately, I have a friend who used the hebrew form, Margalit for her daughter…it’s kind of the perfect blend of margaret and marguerite in my opinion…
Also, what about Marin for a first name?
Jane, Leah and Pearl are my favourite suggestions for you. All sound great with Anna! Good luck :)
Talia is not too Hebrew; if we had used it (and it was on the shortlist) it would have been the Greek Thalia version. Me, I love it.
However, I knew a Margo whose dad called her Mango, and the idea of Anna Banana and Margo Mango makes me want to twirl and dance and run off to write a children’s book.
Pearl’s a good idea to break the Margaret/Marguerite impasse. I’d also like to second the commenter who noted Cordelia is a nice combination of Cora and Delia. That said, you sound pretty enthusiastic about Cora May in the comments and that’s a good sign.
How about Gemma? It’s similar to Emma but a less common, plus the consonant beginning differentiates it a bit more from Anna while keeping a pleasing similarity (for me anyway).
I do love Jane, but I was also thinking Margaret and you could call her Daisy, which is my FAVORITE nickname for it.